Of Liaisons and Secrets
by raincld
Summary: AU: After Hermione's 4th year, her life is turned upside down due to Death Eaters and must spend the next 2 years out of Hogwarts to learn of her true heritage.


Blanket Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: WARNING. This chapter includes a mild rape scene.

Of Liaisons and Secrets

Part 1: The Exiled

Hermione was not in any sense of the word normal. How could a witch be normal anyhow? As if that word said anything really deep about a person. She was born to Muggles, non-magical people, and out of the union she was gifted with the ability to do magic. Not parlor tricks or palm reading but real magic. The kind that cause things to fly, jump, change, spark, and do whatever it was that a spell, potion, or charm wished it to. She loved every minute of being a witch. In that she excelled. Not a single person at her school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, could say the same. Sure some got really good grades but did they truly get what it was to be a witch. She couldn't surmise so. Even her two best friends were average, Ron more than Harry, wizards. None of them applied themselves the way she did. None of them truly wished to be the best or worked so hard sacrificing everything but the continuing search for knowledge and truth that was hidden in the massive Hogwarts Library. Maybe it was because she was Muggle born, that she was assumed by her peers to be average, that she wished to show them that she could be the best. Never mind their snide comments, insinuating gestures, or delight in name calling especially that horrid term 'Mudblood'. As if being born of two wizard parents truly made you worthy of being a wizard.

So how was it that when the end of her fourth year came that her world was turned into the chaos that it had. Well because it seemed even she could be wrong about people. Including her own parents.

Her mother had immediately upon picking up Hermione at King's Cross decided to broach the subject of suggesting the maybe Hermione would like to try 'normal' school in the fall. How could her mother suggest such a thing? She was needed, everyone on the side of what was right in the Magical World was needed, for the upcoming confrontation between Voldemort, more commonly known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the side of good. Hermione ignored the question as if it had never been asked. She had just left her best friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley at King's Cross for crying out loud. Her two magical best friends who were more than any girl could ever ask for as friends and here her mother was saying that maybe she'd like to give that up and go back to being wallflower, unimportant Hermione? Not bloody likely.

So the arguments began. The slight comments on her abilities of being abnormal, her stories on her adventures that they said we just things no normal person could talk about so easily as if they were all true. They were all true, she would say, and why after all this time wouldn't they trust her enough to know what was fantasy and what was real. Magic was real.

"We understand, sweetheart, really we do, but you can't think that being a …witch…will help you as you grow up. How do you expect to get a job, marry, and have a life if all you learn about is how to swing a stick around?" Dawsen Granger wondered, as they sat at the round dinning room table near the two weeks mark when school would start up again.

"It's a wand, not a stick and I do not swing it around. I cast spells."

Maura Granger put up her hand as Hermione's tone had risen in defending herself.

"Hermione, we are not saying that it isn't nice that you've enjoyed your holiday these past four years but we think it's time you think seriously about your future."

"Holiday? Holiday? My schooling is not a holiday, it is education of Witchcraft."

"Enough of this talk," Dawsen demanded, "you will not be going back to that school and that's final."

"Why?" Hermione protested, standing up and causing her chair to hit the tiled ground with a thud.

"You are getting yourself all worked up, Hermione. We have tried to tell you that this simply isn't the way we expect to raise you. We want you to have every advantage, yes but as we did. As normal, everyday people."

"But I'm not normal, I'm not everyday. I am a witch, a fact that obviously the two of you have not gotten used to. I spent four years at Hogwarts so far and in all that time you never said a word, never even hinted that you didn't want me to go. Don't you understand how important magic is to me? Don't you care?"

"We care, Hermione, we just don't understand why you cannot just live your life like us."

"I am not a Muggle!" Hermione shouted at them and immediately regretted it.

Maura glared at her daughter.

"As a Muggle, Hermione, I maybe can not understand where you are coming from but it is obvious that taking you in was the worst mistake I ever made."

"Taking me in? Mum, what are you…."

"I don't appreciate being talked to like that in my own house, Hermione. If you don't like Muggles," Maura spat at her, rising from her chair, "I suggest you take that trunk, cat and yourself and leave our house. The only way you will be allowed to continue living here is if you accept that normal people do not talk about magic at the dinner table. Normal people can stand with other adults and children and talk about school, work and life without having to come up with excuses to why their daughter can't be like everyone else. That we have to say things about you to hide that you are in fact not one of us."

"You are ashamed of me." Hermione announced, her head bowed as the words sunk in.

"We aren't ashamed of you, Hermione," Dawsen cut in, "we just want to have a normal house. A normal life without oddities."

"So I'm odd now? Your daughter is odd? Well, I'm sorry, Dad, Mum, but this is who I am. I am a witch, a very good one in fact that I've worked too hard to become and if you can not accept that then maybe……maybe I should go."

Maura sighed, as Dawsen lowered his head.

"I think that would be advisable. I love you, Hermione, I just don't understand you."

Hermione blinked back tears and ran up to her room, slamming the white bedroom door after her she collapsed beside her bed and buried her head in the soft orange fur of her cat, Crookshanks.

"They are ashamed of me, Crookshanks, my understanding parents can't even be proud of me. They won't even try to see my side of things."

The fifteen year old sobbed into the bedspread beside the cat that looked at distraught as the girl beside it. Finally Hermione lifted her head and sniffled.

"Well, if they don't want me here I guess I'll leave….."

Her decision was put on hold as a sudden shake claimed the house and Hermione felt the entire house roll as if on a fault line. Holding onto the bedpost Hermione glanced outside and saw that nothing else was moving and immediately her guard was up. Getting her footing as the floor continued to roll, she jerked open her bedroom door and stood at the top of the stairs while five figures completely blew the front door off its hinges and entered.

Death Eaters, Hermione's mind screamed. Her parents were in the living room, the house walls were cracking, the sound of support beams snapping in half echoed and Hermione knew the house was going to cave in on itself if this didn't stop.

"Mum! Dad!"

A face hidden behind the shroud of black glanced up at her, a spell she didn't recognize and couldn't hear was mumbled and she felt over the railing that overlooked the downstairs landing on her left side hard but not enough to break any of her bones.

"Little Mudblood," the figure called, "Death awaits you and yours."

Hermione froze, her body ached as the fall's impact left her temporarily unable to move that when she hoisted herself up, sliding up to the wall to be able to maintain a sitting position she had no idea what to do. Her wand was upstairs and she was faced with five grown wizards to one soon to be fifth year student.

The echoing screams of her mom entered her mind as the house had stopped shaking and two more figures shrouded in black cloaks had a hold of both her parents. The one holding her mother seemed to be caressing her in a manner that Hermione felt bile rise to her throat.

A hand gesture from the one she could assume by watching them caused one of the ones in back, his stance reluctant, to come forward. Few words too low for her to hear were uttered and Hermione watched him horrified as he came over to her, his intent as the rising malicious and unmistakable comments filtered to her ears and she opened her mouth to scream but found no sound. Her voice was gone, a simple spell to keep her quiet while she silently had to endure this heinous act.

Behind her, as her back was to the living room she could hear cloth ripping and the sound of kicking and knew her mother was being made to suffer as she soon would. Gulping her eyes pleaded with the man about to do this unspeakable thing to her. His eyes as well as his face were hidden beneath the black cloth so as to be unrecognizable that she couldn't tell if he was even human. A human being would surely have second thoughts, Hermione rationalized.

Feeling her button and zipper on her denim jeans being undone she kicked out and punched the man's shoulder over her. If he was going to do this she wasn't going to make it easy for him. Over his shoulder she saw the figures observing, one more than the rest as the others seemed more into her own mother's rape than that of a fifteen year old girl. Shuddering at her mother's cries of pain, Hermione closed her eyes.

The slow intent of the man seemed to make her open her eyes again as she realized that whoever this was did not want to do this. He seemed to be dragging this out for some reason. The Death Eater in charge came forward and snarled something like 'Get on with it'. Hermione felt sobs rising to her throat that she didn't realize she was crying already until a teardrop splashed the man's hand as he put a finger to her chin.

The pants were removed and Hermione again kicked out, catching him on the top of the thigh, almost knocking him backwards into the closet door when another spell hit her and she was unable to move her arms and legs. Now that all she had on was her simple white tank top, bra and white panties eyes of interest from the Death Eaters removed themselves from her mother's suffering to her own. Ashamed, Hermione lowered her head and felt him remove her underwear. The process was so time consuming and finally they were removed and he was over her. A comment came and the man above her as she was now laid out on the floor of the hallway gave a short angered reply that she was sure they had been asking how long was he going to take.

Never in her wildest dreams would she ever thought to lose her virginity this way. She always assumed that well….maybe Ron and her would one day but that was a dream far removed from this nightmare.

He settled between her legs and she felt his penis, that foreign object to her, come between her naked legs and then inside her. She tensed it hurt so much and then she felt split in two as her hymen was breached and all she felt was dulled pain and fullness. He didn't move, just stayed above her. It was the oddest sensation to have him inside her and all now she could feel was something elusive that the fullness was getting to her. Unconsciously she moved her hips and felt him hiss, before he quickly removed himself as the sound of spells rose out of the night air and that one spell she dreaded.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The man in charge directed that at her parents that Hermione found her voice back, as she quickly crawled away from the man that had taken her virginity and shouted.

"No! Please, no!"

But it was too late as that green light flashed and both her parents lay dead on the floor of their home. Hermione screamed and all she remembered was fading into darkness with the vague remembrance of someone calling her name.

Albus Dumbledore paced in the round tower office that was the Headmaster Sanctuary, the white of his beard and hair contrasting with the blue of his robe and wizard's hat. Troubled eyes hid behind half-moon spectacles went from the paintings of Headmasters and Headmistresses on his walls, all asleep of course, to the woman whose own agitation and frustration went right along with his.

"I never…." Albus started, seeing Minerva McGonagall have sympathy in her own cat-like eyes, "I had hoped that it would never come to this."

"We could never have suspected."

"But I should have and Severus," Albus was at a loss for words how to deal with the younger Professor, "his anguish is so great I fear he might try to hurt himself."

"He wouldn't," Minerva said with absolute certainty, "Poppy is looking after him as well as those two young Aurors. Cornelius is here and no charges will be brought up against Severus for having been there tonight. None of us would have guessed the plans if not for his being called."

Albus gave a half-smile.

"Joining the Severus band wagon finally?"

Minerva lifted her lips in an answering expression.

"About time, don't you think?"

"How is Miss Granger?"

Minerva lost all look but that of helplessness.

"She is in so much pain. The turmoil in her mind," Minerva's hands clasped in her lap primly but the white of her knuckles showed her frustration, "Poppy gave her a Dreamless Potion but not even that can help the situation she is in now."

"Will you see if Severus is awake? I wish to speak to him."

Minerva nodded, standing up, her back as straight as a poll.

"Albus," Minerva told him as she went to leave, "no one could have known, not even you."

Watching her leave, Albus Dumbledore wondered how he couldn't have suspected at least.

Severus Snape looked, felt and knew he was in hell. _How else could a person rationalize what I did tonight_, he asked himself sitting with an open bottle of bourbon on the desk where he taught from in the dungeons of Hogwarts. Some potions master, he told himself with disgust swallowing another shot of the Muggle alcohol.

Earlier that night when the mark had again stung his arm, that signal of the Dark Lord wanting his presence, he immediately left. The group met outside a small Muggle town where Lucius Malfoy, that pale-faced lapdog, immediately stated that they would be 'cleaning up the town'. That translated into finding whatever Muggle-born witches or wizards lived there and killing them. Only when they had blew open the door of the house that belonged to the Granger's had Severus realized that the Muggle-born they were after was know-it-all Hermione, the brains of the Potter trio.

Lucius seemed to be testing him when he made him step forward after removing the railing so that Hermione fell to the floor at their feet. Instructing him that wouldn't he like to get back at an unworthy Muggle-born student. Avery had immediately stated that he wouldn't mind taking care of her and at that disturbing thought Severus had calmly informed that impudent bastard Malfoy that he'd do it.

Severus couldn't trust any of them not to brutally rape the only student from any of his Potions classes to actually excel at Potions without making it seem like work. Anyone else would ruin her spirit, destroy her soul as his own had been years before. He couldn't allow them to do that to her. His thought pattern only went that far when he heard the slaps and shredding of clothes coming from Hermione's mother. Her father was put under an Imperius Curse and made to 'service' one of the more degrading Death Eaters known to favor men. Thank Merlin her back was to them he remembered thinking and then set about very slowly as once he received the summons he immediately informed Albus what was going on. Aurors and Unspeakables would be arriving any moment until then he had to bide his time.

Merlin knew that when Crabbe and Goyle, those two brainless idiots, told Malfoy that they'd like a go on Hermione and wondered how long he was going to take it only made his hand slower on her young body.

It had been years, more than he'd like to say, since he felt any woman underneath him with the curves that young Granger possessed. He saw her dignity in her eyes, her pleading with him and felt guilt so immense he only wished to apparate them away. He couldn't, it would give away his status as spy. So he continued and when he finally had her lower body completely un-clothed he felt desire for her that revolved him. _How could he want her when he was raping her_? The thought was morbid and yet he continued until he had his hands on her narrow hips and his erection inside her.

He had managed to break her barrier in one thrust and did not want to move. He felt himself surrounded in her that it took all his will power not to thrust to completion in her velvet warmth. Amazement went across her features once the pain receded and all he knew she was feeling the fullness. That slight movement of her hips caused him to hiss, that he knew she heard and he pulled out before he came inside her.

Instinctly she moved away, he couldn't blame her, and as the authorities arrived and Hermione, thank the Heavens, blacked out he covered her in his cloak and picked her up as Malfoy, Crabbe, Avery, Goyle, and two more were all taken away. He noted the betrayal on Malfoy's face as he realized that Snape was not one of them being taken away and knew if Malfoy ever got out of Azkaban as surely as that was where all of them were headed, Snape would have a death sentence on his head.

Carrying her limp body, she felt so cold, he saw McGonagall and Albus appear with what it looked like two of the youngest looking Aurors he had ever seen, one could be no older than Hermione herself. Albus had the look of forgiveness but deep regret on his face that not even he, Snape, could misinterpret. Even if the whole Ministry of Magic, Albus, and maybe one day Hermione if he ever told her could forgive him he would never ever forgive himself.

An ache one that came from her head to her feet woke Hermione up as the windows from the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts let early morning light in. Surrounded in white, from the tent-like nightgown she was in to the sheets and blankets covering her, Hermione put a hand to her forehead and wished the world far, far away.

Memories came flashing back as she sat up and bent her knees. The horror of her parents dying, her rape and knowing that even before death her parents were ashamed of her caused unrelenting sobs to rake her body as she hugged her knees to her chest and cried.

Poppy Pomfrey came around the corner of her office just as the sobs were so loud and painfully clear of the girl's misery that she maternally came to Hermione's bedside and put her arms around the girl in comfort only to have Hermione shy away. It was natural of course; Poppy concluded thoughtfully, that the girl was now wary of physical touch at least for a little while.

Not knowing what to do, Poppy helplessly stood and with relief saw Albus and Minerva enter followed by the mother of mothers, Molly Weasley. The heart-breaking sobs managed to get to the doorway and Severus, having agreed to come with Albus to the Hospital Wing, immediately left he could not take being a part of that young girl's heartache.

The plump motherly woman with red hair and a calming nature, that went well with the fact that her twin sons were the pranksters of Hogwarts and now Hogsmeade, came up and Hermione lifted her head. Her face tear stained and eyes red immediately collapsed against Molly, who rubbed on Hermione's back and soothed the distraught girl in a manner Poppy could not.

Albus signaled to Poppy and the three adults left only then did Minerva realize that Severus had disappeared.

"Where did Severus go?"

Albus shook his head at Minerva's question, after talking to the younger man who was like a son to him, he doubted Severus would ever feel comfortable around Hermione ever again without immense guilt.

"Let it go, Minerva, our main concern now is Miss Granger."

Nodding her agreement, as Head of Gryffindor and being very fond of Hermione, Minerva let the subject of Severus slide, for now.

Getting back to Albus's office to the two women sat opposite of his desk and he glanced over at them.

"I have been informed that besides the attack by the Death Eaters last night," Albus knew that would suit both women better than saying exactly what had happened to the Granger family, "before hand the Granger's made their desire clear that they did not want Miss Granger to return this year to Hogwarts."

"Why?" Poppy asked shocked.

"It seems they wished for her to continue in a Muggle school of their choosing or she was to leave their residence. She had chosen to leave rather than not go here and so it was then that it happened. Her trauma may also come from guilt on her part due to her parents dying over our fight with Voldemort."

"Poor child," Poppy sadly stated, while Minerva glared at the nurse.

"Hermione Granger is more than a child, she is by many means a girl with more talent than most of us possess that have been doing magic for over a hundred years. I refuse to let her give up on magic due to the loss of her parents, however grievous the circumstances."

"I do not think that is Miss Granger's intent, Minerva, but merely that she will blame herself for them being killed. In this and the fact that she has no one in the Muggle world now, we must also address that she will need a guardian. Which takes me to the next problem in Miss Granger's life," Albus took in a breath, "her parentage."

"You mean…" Poppy looked scandalized.

"Yes. I think it is time that Hermione find her true self and I do not think here will be the place for her. At least not now."

Minerva's eye twitched at the suggestion.

"You want to take her to live with that….rogue." Minerva concluded with no small amount of anger.

"He is her father, Minerva, however much you detest it being so."

"He gave her up!"

Poppy shook her head at Minerva, "He did what he thought best for her at the time. You know as well as I do if she had been left to be found out by her mother's family then ….."

"I know, Poppy, that does not mean however that I like the idea. Hermione is innocent, these issues right now not withstanding, she will be forced to live in that cess pool he calls a home." Minerva admitted.

Poppy was openly laughing by now, as Albus had a grin on his face at Minerva's self-righteous outrage.

"I take it, Minerva, you have never visited Olympus?" Poppy inquired.

"Of course not!"

Poppy rolled her eyes at Minerva's tone.

"Then I would think you should know not to judge something or somewhere until you see it for yourself. I think it will be good for Hermione to get away for a while, the girl is entirely too stressed and in times like these we all need to have time to relax."

"In a brothel?"

Poppy let out an impatient sigh, "You just want her to be just like you!"

"Ladies," Albus held up his hands to ward off further antagonisms, "first I must speak to her father on this before we broach the subject with Miss Granger. As term starts in two weeks I think whatever we can to help her cope will be our main priority."

"Molly will see to that," Poppy assured them.

"For now we will help her and visit the Ministry to make sure that all deeds that need doing are done."

Minerva twisted her mouth at that.

"If Lucius Malfoy gets out I'll…." Minerva stated.

"We all will not be happy should he be let off the charges, Minerva. Nor will it be safe for Hermione if he does."

Poppy nodded as she left the room and Minerva saw Albus rub his temple, while reaching out to stroke Fawkes, the red phoenix.

"Do you think he'll want her back?" Minerva questioned.

"I have no doubt of it. He loves her, that is the only reason he gave her up."

Hermione felt better four days later but knew that around her all the adults were avoiding bringing anything up that might distress her. She was glad of it but hated that they think they had to stop bringing anything up at all as if lumping the whole situation together.

Molly Weasley was the biggest help. She treated her just like any of her own children and was a very good listener. To her Hermione conveyed all her problems with dealing with this and Molly then gave them to the others to seek into what to be done about them.

The one most on her mind was what was she going to tell Ron and Harry.

How did you tell your best friends that a person whose face you couldn't see raped you? How did you even bring up that subject? It wasn't like when they asked you how your summer went and you politely just stated as if it was the most natural thing in the world to have been told your parents wanted you to give up magic, you were going to leave, when Death Eaters defiled you and both your parents before killing your parents. That was not a conversation starter. Worse was that Molly had to lie to keep coming here even though Arthur knew but neither one, she knew, would tell Ron and Harry as both boys were at the house right now.

Finally able to wear something else besides a white nightgown, Hermione put on a pair of loose drawstring black pants with a long-sleeved blue sweater. She felt the need to hide and baggy clothes were good for that. Walking down the empty corridors of Hogwarts she noticed how very quiet it was with all the students gone. No pranks, running in the halls, shouting to one another, it was eerie it was so silent.

Hermione caught sight of Professor Snape coming around a hallway when he got a glimpse of her and then vanished. Her mind stated that was very odd before she heard Dumbledore's almost reassuring voice and went to see what was going on.

Entering the empty Transfiguration classroom, she spotted Molly, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Pomfrey all standing around with two other people she didn't recognize.

"Ah, Miss Granger, I would like to introduce you to Helios Dolohov and Gavin Karyo, two of the Ministry Aurors."

That was shocking as neither one look much older than herself. Helios she knew must have a lot of girls hanging on him as his long chestnut hair and violet eyes. He was definitely _eye candy_ as Lavender would say. Gavin seemed the elder of the two with white-gold hair that fell back over his left eye and his right eye, that she could see, was the color of a piece of amber she had in her jewelry collection.

"They are here to explain the on-going decision of your placement."

"My placement?"

Minerva offered to translate Albus's interesting phrasing.

"What the Headmaster meant, Miss Granger, is now that your parents are….deceased," Minerva wanted to bite her tongue rather than have the defeated look come over Hermione's pretty face again, "and with no Muggle relatives we have to have you put under guardianship until your eighteenth birthday."

"But I…."

"This by no means affects your education, Miss Granger, but we do have another problem with your sudden loss."

"What is that?"

Gavin stepped forward and Hermione had to keep herself from taking a step back, as she had been working on touching was natural again.

"All your life you have been told," Gavin glanced at Dumbledore, "that you are a Muggle-born, correct?"

"Yes?" Hermione questioned as though uncertain how to respond.

"I will take that as a yes," Gavin gave her a small smile, "well we have news that your father, your biological father, would like to meet you."

"My biological father, but he's…"

"No, Miss Granger," Dumbledore interrupted, "a very hard thing to explain is paternal love and you, by blood, have never had Muggle blood in your veins. A fact I know that Draco Malfoy has had some relish in stating that you do."

"I'm not Muggle-born?"

"No, your family biologically is a combination of two of the eldest Magical families in the whole magical world."

Hermione sank to the step she was paused on.

"All this time I worked so hard just to be like everyone else and now I've always been just like them, just another pureblood."

Helios was shocked that such a young girl, with much obvious potential could doubt herself like she was. Both he and Gavin glanced at each other.

"Miss Granger," Helios cut in, "your magic has always been your own. Should you come from Muggles, have half-blood or full-blood magic is always your own. How well you develop it is up to each individual. Some wizards and witches would love to have half the natural talent you do from what I've heard from your Headmaster and Head of House."

Hermione glanced to the passionate speaking boy and saw him wink at her.

"Eloquently said, Mr. Dolohov. I know this is hard for you to sink in, Miss Granger, and we don't want to force you to do anything right now you aren't ready to."

"What's his name?"

Albus smiled at the girl who always was curious and insightful.

"Sinjin Sinclair is the name of your father, Hermione."

"Hermione Sinclair," Hermione said as if testing it, "it fits at least."

"I want you to think about this," Minerva told her pupil, "take all the time you need to decide."

Hermione glanced over the room and then thought to her warring emotions.

"I'd like to go as soon as possible."

Molly looked pleased, as well as Dumbledore but Pomfrey and McGonagall both look uncomfortable.

"We will be your escorts, Miss Granger." Gavin informed her.

"Now?"

Albus nodded his acknowledgement of her request.

"I will be with you until you make your decision once we are there, Miss Granger. Shall we go?"

Hermione stepped down, giving a hug to Molly and then surprising both Poppy and Minerva with hugs.

"Thank you." Hermione said with a small smile.

"We are here for you, Hermione." Minerva told the girl before the two Aurors, Headmaster and girl apparated.

Molly watched Minerva and Poppy glance at one another.

"Hermione is the strongest girl I know. She'll be fine."

"Do you think Hermione will want to live with him?"

Molly gave Minerva a nod.

"Sinjin is a bit rough around the edges, his jump in feet first nature is sure to be very different for our studious Hermione but I think she'll love Avalon."

"Who said anything about her going to Avalon?" Minerva startled asked.

"That's where he lives, Minerva. Olympus is the island right off the Isle of Avalon, didn't you know?"

Poppy looked about to burst with laughter at Minerva's ignorance.

"No, I did not."

Molly shrugged.

"Hermione is smart, she'll figure out what to do for herself. You just watch."


End file.
